Local wisdom was believed as a significant potency for some ethnics in Indonesia to sustain living in
the coastal areas. Bugis and Baja people were known as two ethnics among others who get used to live
in the coastal areas, sailing across the ocean, and lived outside their traditional habitats. On the other
hand some coastal development policies, new introduced coastal activities, or natural hazards tend to
change the environmental conditions of their settlement. These could disturb the existence of their
settlements in the coastal areas. Based on, private research on coastal settlement since 2002, this paper
described the role of tradition, adaptation, or transformation strategy of Bugis and Baja community to
survive living in Jakarta, East Nusa Tenggara and West Nusa Tenggara islands and coastal settlements.
Unsupported by information and awareness on new discoveries, improve interpretation on sustainable
living, and relevant government interventions, local wisdom could support them to survive but not
sufficient to improve the coastal community resilience on coastal disaster and ensure the sustainability of
their settlements in the coastal areas.
